Here we are: December 19, 2012, and the wind is whipping through the trees outside my office. Some might call this perfect Coastal Spectator weather: lots of atmosphere, grey skies, slanting rain, Douglas fir branchettes whirling through the air, seed cones bouncing on the sidewalks . . .

This is the time of the year, I always think, to sit and reflect, if one can find a moment, and also to count assorted blessings. And here at Coastal Spectator, we have lots to be thankful for: the support of the Faculty of Fine Arts, dedicated contributors of all ages, lots of cultural events and artifacts to talk and think about, and a passel of smart and dedicated contributors, including the three key people who keep the site looking fresh and lively: Candace Fertile, Contributing Editor, who keeps an eye on poetry and reviews; Cliff Haman, Design Consultant, who advises us on the tricky technical stuff, and Matthew (Gus) Gusul, Online Editor, who posts articles at all hours of the day and night. It takes a lot of people to make a cultural magazine hum, and everyone has done her/his part since we began to expand the site six months ago.

Coastal Spectator needs to rest and ruminate a bit, so we are taking a brief break until early January, which is why you may see no new postings for two weeks. But we have lots of new features pending, so keep on checking us out in the New Year.

We are looking forward to continued growth and hoping for more new contributors in 2013. Warmest best wishes to our reviewers, our readers, and all our creators of cultural content. Happy Holidays to all.

— Lynne Van Luven